Mimbulus Mimbletonia
by alwaysmarauders
Summary: Neville is nervous for his first day as the Herbology Professor, but he knows that if he can at least connect with one student, everything will be fine.


_An: This was written for the Musical Prompt challenge, round two, with the prompt of Hogwarts Professor._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own the world or Neville, J.K Rowling does._

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Of course it had to be the seventh years, Neville thought as he sat at his desk in greenhouse one an hour before his first ever class would arrive. If he were teaching one of the younger years this would be a lot less nerve wracking. He actually went to school with a few of these kids and now he had to teach them? It was times like this where he wished the position hadn't opened up for a few more years.

No matter how nervous he was though, this was his dream job. The thought that somewhere in the school there might just be a few young minds that were just as shy and interested in Herbology as he was when he was in Hogwarts was what made him want to teach. He had even decided to teach the class about Mimbulus Mimbletonia, which was a plant that would always hold a special place in his heart, despite the pungent smell the stinksap it produced gave off. The lesson wouldn't take long, which was good for the first day. He just hoped it was interesting enough to hold the attention of the seventh years.

He stared at the plant, hoping it would sprout a mouth and advise him on how to be a good teacher. All he wanted was to do right by his students.

The hour left before class flew by, and before he knew it the first of his students were filing in and taking their places at the workbenches.

"Erhm- Good Afternoon." Neville cleared his throat. He hadn't a clue to why he was so nervous. After fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts nothing should make him this nervous anymore.

The class looked at him expectantly. He knew they were excited to have him as a teacher, from what they'd heard of him. He was currently the youngest professor at Hogwarts, and the fact that he was a war hero thrilled most of the students.

"Today we're going to dive right in and- well we're going to take a look at Mimbulus Mimbletonia." Those in the class that knew what it was didn't seem all that impressed. "So. Uhm, before I begin… You're all seventh years so I don't have to tell you what this class is about, but what I will say is that I won't be teaching things the way you're used to. Herbology has always been hands on, but I really want you lot to be even more enriched than you might have been in the past. I want you to know everything about how these amazing plants work and really see what makes them so brilliant." Neville had decided long ago that if he were to be a teacher, he would take what Lupin had taught him years ago and put it to use. He wanted the class to be just as hands on and creative as Defense Against the Dark Arts had been that year.

He knew that the main reason he was still holding the class' attention was because of who he was, but he was going to use that to his advantage (At least until he could capture it through his teaching style, which was something he was actually confident that he could do.)

"Before you, on each table, is the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Now, I've ordered quite a lot of them, so today I just want you to take a look at them. Explore them. See what they're made of. First though: Can anyone tell me what they are used for?"

A Slytherin girl glanced around, and one no one else volunteered she spoke up. "They help control fear and anxiety." Her voice was quite. She didn't seem like the type that spoke up in class much. Neville appreciated that.

"Very good. Thank you. Ten points to Slytherin." He smiled at the girl. "Now, your equipment is before you. Gloves on, and have at it. Oh, and keep in mind, they have the tendency to spew, so only touch the boils for experimental purposes." Neville exhaled a deep breath and grinned. He was a lot more calm now, and he knew that he was finally truly in his element.

He circled the room watching students examine different aspects of the plant using the tools they had been given and the examination spells they had learned in previous years. Almost every student at one point made a boil erupt releasing the horrible smell into the air. By the end of the lesson the students were working together and laughing with one another. It was a simple plant, but it had already succeeded in bringing them together as a group in a way.

At the end of the lesson, Neville had the students clean up. He cast a few vanishing spells on the goo himself. "You're homework tonight isn't much. All I'm asking is that you write a report on what you learned about the plant, just tell me in paragraph form any attributes you discovered. Tomorrow we'll actually go into detail about what it's for and how it can help people. Thank you all. You're dismissed."

He sat back down at his desk and watched the students pack up and leave one by one. As she left, the Slytherin girl who had given the answer at the beginning of class smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Professor."

That was the first time he'd really been called that. It felt right.


End file.
